Conversation
by Mandarax
Summary: Adama and Roslin have a conversation. Takes place after Collaboretors but has no direct spoilers. Please review :


Conversation by Blondi

PG13

November 3, 2006

"Adar was an idiot."

They had argued about many things in the past couple of years. In the beginning their arguments were restricted to the political situation they were in, but as they got to know each other better their arguments became more personal. They were both stubborn, strong headed. Their friendship could only flourish from these arguments.

"I completely disagree. He was a good president! His policies happened to help the economy of the colonies. Unemployment was down 20 percent because of his different policies!"

"His foreign policy was a joke, Laura. Sending the fleet to all ends of the universe only to stop us before we made the first jump, so he can say he was exploring further possibilities for planetary settlements on his next campaign? Having the fleet escort different dignitaries between the colonies? We were sitting ducks, not explorers and certainly not an escort service. Decommissioning Galactica and retiring was the best damn thing that came my way because of his ridiculous policies!"

"What could he have done? They Cylons were gone for 40 years after the first war, what else could he have done with a fleet of battlestars?"

"All the presidents before him found better uses to the fleet than he did. I didn't always agree with their policies either, but at least they had a sense to them!"

"Okay, he may have had a bad space exploration and dignitary escort policies, but he still had dozens of good policies. People loved him, Bill. The economy was flourishing. Education was at all time high. More people attended academic facilities during his term in office than they had during his predecessor's. He lowered costs for students. He supported the scientific communities. Baltar wouldn't exist today if it hadn't been for Richard's support in scientific research."

"I don't think that's a valid argument, Laura. I wish Baltar didn't exist."

A chuckle. "Fine then. Many other scientists would not have been able to work had it not been for Richard. He helped them."

"He only helped those who helped him. Baltar's research would have made a good campaign slogan and would have brought publicity to his administration. Not to mention the fact that the money he had to spend on his campaign-supporting science research came from the taxes he raised by three percent! Three percent, Laura!"

He knew more about politics than he was letting on. Time to change tactics.

"You were personally affected by the tax increase, no wonder you're so upset with him."

"Actually, I wasn't. Tax breaks. I was enlisted during the first war, two sons in the service, divorced. And he still got to me."

"Always wondered what happened to your wife."

"Ran off with a college professor she was working with. She was supposed to be getting married again. Lee told me when he came on board Galactica right before the attack."

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

"Said she couldn't deal with me being away for so long because of Adar's policy."

"You see? You do take it personally! You're blaming Richard for ruining your family!"

A snort. "Not really. Caroline and I had our share of problems from the beginning. Even after the divorce, after Zak's accident we couldn't bare to stand in the same room without arguing about whatever came our way. Anyway, she'd been having affairs all over Caprica City even before she ran off with that professor. I'm pissed at Adar because he's an idiot."

He was very good at countering her arguments.

"I was having an affair with Adar."

"And that's supposed to make me like him?"

Shock. "You knew?"

"I have my sources."

"Who else knows?"

"No one, Laura. I wouldn't tell anyone your dirty little secret." A grin.

"Thank you, Bill."

"But it's still not going to make me like him."

"Fine. Despite my romance with him I think he was a good president."

There would be no deterring her now. Time to get personal.

"What did you see in him, anyway?"

"He was a handsome, intelligent, intellectual, interesting, caring man."

"He was an idiot."

A laugh. "Yes, you've said so. But he also had exactly what I was looking for in a man."

"You and his wife, both."

"Yes that did appear to be a problem."

"But you like challenges."

"Yes, I do."

"Not quite the goody-two-shoes politician, are you." A statement.

"He never showed me any favoritism because we were having an affair, if that's what you mean. If anything, he only made my political life tougher. He didn't cut me any breaks. Sometimes he even had me doubting my political skills."

"You're defending his honor or yours?"

"Neither. I'm stating things as they are. Were."

"Ah, I see. So what did you get for being the president's mistress?"

"Nothing in particular. The joys of spending nights with the man I found attractive and interesting."

"And his wife?"

"I didn't say I spent every night with him."

"So he wasn't leaving her for you?"

"We never spoke about it. Certainly not while he was in office, that would have destroyed both our political careers."

"I'd imagine so." A nod. "Wasn't it hard being his second choice? Knowing you could never be his partner at anything of an official capacity? Not have the dream future, marriage, a home, kids, a dog, with him?"

"There didn't seem to be an alternative so I settled for being the mistress."

"I find it hard to believe you'd settle. On anything."

"I've changed since then. And anyway, it wasn't as if I had so many other choices. A woman in her 40s, the secretary of education? I took the next best thing."

"I'm trying to imagine you as a mother. You'd have made a good mom."

"Thank you. It's not like I don't often wish I'd had kids, but it's too late now."

A thought. "Adar was a moron."

"You've said so before."

"No, for not marrying you. He had a treasure right under his nose all this time and he let you go."

"It was never an option, what with his wife and career and all."

"It's hard for me to think of you as 'the other woman'. You deserve so much more."

Change of subject.

"How come you never married again after Caroline split?"

"I did. Married Anne. Used her father's connections to get back into service after the first war. But she ended up being another woman who would have to wait for me when I'm up in space for months at a time because of Adar's stupid policy. She left too. Besides, I had my two sons, Zak was getting married. It was time to give the younger generation time to have fun."

"I didn't know Zak was engaged."

"Yeah. Sweet kid, his fiancé. Good woman, every bit as crazy as him. The best damn pilot the fleet ever had."

"You mean – "

"I thought you knew." Surprise.

"But I thought Lee was – "

"That's now. Though neither will admit it if you ask them."

"They're young, they'll figure it out."

"And they're both also married. I raised my boys to be morally aware of their spouses. Anyway, they both lived under unhappy parents whose lives were destroyed by a bad marriage and their mother's romantic affairs."

"Are you patronizing me? Do I have to remind you Richard did not leave his wife for me?"

"Would his wife have left him had she known about you two?"

"Probably."

"There you go."

"You think of me as immoral?"

"No, I think you've had the wrong idea about Adar. He's an idiot."

"I think I've heard you say that before somewhere."

"No other man you could set up shack with?"

"There have been others over the years, I was nearly married once."

"What happened?"

"A couple of days before the wedding he disappeared. Came back a week later, said he couldn't go through with it and disappeared again. I didn't see him for five years. When we did bump into each other he was married, had a kid hanging off him, and another on the way. He apologized, said he'd been a mess and would only have made a black smear on my political resume. Said he'd kept up with my career over the years."

"So you still have no idea what went wrong."

"Not a clue."

"Weren't there others?"

"There were, but not any single one who even had the chance. I'm quite picky. And I had to think of my career before anything else."

"Good thing, too."

"Yeah." A grin. "What about you? Three must have been others before Caroline, after Anne."

"There was one before. A childhood sweetheart. Morgan. But then, after college, she decided her way was in the stars, promised to come back, and never did. She's a high priestess guru of some cult on one of the colonies and has taken a vow of silence."

"And after Anne?"

"Galactica became my lover. Anyway, it didn't matter much anymore."

Understanding. "You settled for a ship and I settled for a married man. I honestly don't know which is worse."

A sigh. "Both are bad enough."

"What did you plan on doing after retirement?"

"I honestly don't know. I probably would have turned out like those old men playing Chess in the park."

A smirk. "You could have gone into politics."

"No. there was enough politics on Galactica to last me a lifetime."

"You could have written a book, your memoirs."

"Who would read it, Lee? Caroline, to see how I portrayed her?"

"Could be interesting. You were in the First Cylon War, you've been driving a battlestar, you've had your share of experiences. I think it couldn't have bit interesting."

"You're the only one."

A squeeze of the hand. "Doubt it. But it's too late now, isn't it?"

"We're alive. That's all that matters. Don't lose hope, Laura."

"You're a smart man, Bill."

"Thank you. But I mean it. We're alive, we're en-route to Earth, we're here debating Adar, that idiot. I know things could have been better, but in our current situation I think things are pretty good."

"Thank you."

A warm smile.

"We should get some sleep. We've both got early mornings."

"Indeed."

"Goodnight, Bill."

"Goodnight, Laura."

A shifting of sheets. A deep breath. A smell of her hair. A kiss goodnight.

The end


End file.
